The Dominion. FRIDAY, DECEMBER S, 1911. THE COUNTRY'S VERDICT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1306, 8 December 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, DECEMBER S, 1911. THE COUNTRY'S VERDICT.

Yesterday Wardism was on its trial, and the verdict of the country has been emphatic. The Continuous, Ministry to-day stand condemned. The rat-urns so far available show that for the ftyat time in twenty years the Continuous Ministry cannot rely on a majority in Parliament. They have already lost a number of scats, and their prospects at the second ballots are discouraging in the extreme The Reform party emerges from'the first ballots with twenty-five seats to the Government's nineteen, and enters on the contest at the second ballots with a lead in twelve seals as against the Government's lead in fourteen. That is roughly the position. But in a number of second ballot contests the Government has no candidate left in •it all. The Labour party has candidates left in the second" round of the struggle, and we would at this stage urge all who desire to see the politics of the country purified tw vote for Labour where there is no Reform candidate t'o support. Apart from the loss of seats and its parlous position in relation to the second : oallots, the tremendous revulsion of feeling against the Waiid Adminisj tration and its evil ways is emphatically shown by the manner in which the majorities of Government candidates have been cut down in all directions. The vote cast against- Hie Government has shown an enormous increase, and there cannot be any doubt that to-day the country is strongly antagonistic to the small circle of people who have for so long kept to themselves the control of the Dominion's affairs, and behaved as though they owned New Zealand. It is indeed a very fine thing to think that despite the absolutely conscienceless way in which Ministers have within the past few days sought to bribe the electorates, the Government have utterly failed in their purpose and stand exposed objects of contempt and derision to all men. Only the day lie fore the poll the final attempt to buy over the railway servants was made—it only loakpfl out yesterday when it was too late to expose it to the general publie. Tlie Kaiiways Department on Wednesday last, the day before the poll,_ went out of its way to make a special payment in a lump sum to each member of the Second Division, covering the scale increase due to him as from November 1 last. This increased payment was nursed until the day before the poll, and was intended to sweeten the men for election day. But our readers arc fully aware of the shameless fashion in which certain Ministers have been promising and giving and they will derive a grim satisfaction from the manner in which the public have replied to the insults offered to their intelligence and to their self-respect. Where to-day is the triumph for Wardism predicted by its claquers! We have witnessed the spectacle of the PnniE Minister fighting desperately with all the weight of his office to aid him; all the power of patronage which s rt involves; all the opportunity to penalise those who oppose; and a comparatively unknown man, unaided by any influence beyond that which must always accompany a good cause, cuts us huge majority to pieces and leaves him a victor it is true, but with less to be proud of than his vanquished foe. And in Parnell the electors have hurled back at Sir John Findlay the insult which that titled nominee of the Ward Administration placed upon the whole country by his electioneering methods. At Duncdin, Mn. Millar, another Minister, has to go to a second ballot with a strong possibility of defeat; and at Kaiapoi still another Minister, in Mb. Buddo, is confronted with an almost hopeless task. To-day the Ward Administration stands condemned in the eyes of the people. The public, disgusted wi_th_ the practices and methods of Ministers; sick to death of their shifty ways; their selfishness; their lack of principle; their flagrant and opeu political dishonesty, have shown that they can unmake, as well as make, Governments. Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues, who have ridden rough-shod over the people, who have acted as though,they possessed despotic powers, are to-day confronted with the bitter truth that the people are the masters, not the servants, of tho Executive. For the first time in twenty years the chance exists of getting a real insight into the true position of the country's affairs. If the people will at the second ballots continue the good work which they began so well yesterday, a new set of men will take their nlnpA nn tho Treasury benches, and ~ -<• +i.». Dp.. t I ',; attairs7~~»TuTii-- ..„ ,__ u , country on the verdict'passed at yesterday's polls, we would urge that tho work must be completed witr thoroughness at tho second ballots next Thursday; There must bo no slackening of effort; a complete cleansing and purifying of tho politics of the country would mean «.- much to New Zealand at tho present time that every elector should treat it as lib highest duty and

privilege to assist in bringing it about. The one way—the only way —to do this is to unite in a great and final effort, and sweep away the WAIiD Administration, with all its attendant evils, at the ballots ou Thursday next.